Limited movie runs: 'Fall to Grace' and 'The King'

Updated 10:00 pm, Thursday, June 22, 2006

FALL TO GRACE

Independent films are getting a facelift in Austin, Texas. "The Puffy Chair" was a surprise hit at SIFF this year, and now "Fall to Grace" offers further proof that excellent films can be made on a shoestring. With her first feature, writer/director Mari Marchbanks captures the essence of a melting pot neighborhood where economics, not race, is the dividing factor. Without artifice or contrivance, she shows the daily battles fought by poor immigrants as they try to maintain their honesty and dignity in a society for which affiliation with criminals is sometimes the only way to earn a living wage. Inspirational without being sentimental, "Fall to Grace" suggests the possibility of peaceful resolutions to seemingly insoluble problems. The first thing one notices in the film is how carefully composed and well-lit each shot is. The acting, mostly by Austin theater people, is also first-rate. The only fault is a buzz in the soundtrack due to the sound being recorded too low. It is irritating at first, but the film's atmosphere, enriched with a moody soundtrack by Austin musicians, soon overwhelms the technical distraction. (Bill White)

The title could refer to Elvis, for whom Gael Garcia Bernal's character is named, or to evangelical preacher and respected community leader David Sandow (William Hurt), who sired the boy before he himself was born again. But when this inconvenient reminder of Sandow's sinful past seduces his 16-year-old daughter (Pell James) with dispassionate deliberation, the tale of a bastard son insinuating himself into the Corpus Christi equivalent of a royal family takes on Shakespearean dimensions. Milo Addica's script delves into emotionally messy territory similar to his earlier "Monster's Ball" and director James Marsh embraces the ambiguity, sometimes at the expense of the characters. Behind the sad and vulnerable eyes of Bernal's damaged Elvis is both a fierce rage and a desperate need for his father's recognition, but he's more enigma than person. Hurt is more nuanced as the sincerely spiritual man faced with a past that threatens his family and his future. (Sean Axmaker)

GRADE: B

At the Varsity through Thursday. 105 minutes. Rated R for strong sexuality involving a teen, some violence and language.